It appears that Buddy Schulz and his C6 Corvette racecar didn’t have the best weekend at the most recent Texas Mile [1] event. What was turning out to be a great pass, quickly turned into a nitrous oxide-fueled fireball.
[2]Schulz’s C6 Corvette was outfitted with a 416ci LS3 making 625 RWHP (without nitrous) and a 2 stage nitrous kit with 100 plate shot and 200 shot fogger. It was around 180 MPH when an explosion occurred under the hood, most likely caused by a nitrous backfire.
In the video, shot by Gearhead Flicks [3], you can hear what sounds like the car hitting redline, followed by a large popping sound. Very shortly after that, you can see the flames from under the hood licking the windshield and the driver’s side window. Schulz quickly shut the car down, brought it to a halt, and walked away so the Texas Mile safety crew could put out the fire safely. With the front of the car “fully involved,” it takes a minute or two for them to get the fire completely out.
[4]Schulz managed to walk away with no injuries; his car, on the other hand, didn’t. Luckily, the fire only caused front end damage and they managed to save the rest of the car.
About an hour after the incident, Schulz was talking about the next powerplant, showing his drive and determination to come back with a bigger and better setup. We hope to see Schulz back at it on the Texas Mile with his new setup very soon.